Beef ban: States where cow slaughter is legal and illegal

Here is a comprehensive list of places where beef consumption is legal or illegal in India.

Cow is considered a sacred animal and many Hindus revere it. With a BJP-led NDA government in power at the Centre, many conservative Hindus are now voicing their opinion about protecting cows by banning the slaughter of the animal. Many states have already imposed a beef ban, making slaughter of cows and possession of beef a criminal offence.

Despite this, India continues to remain world's second-largest producer of beef (after Brazil) but most of that is buffalo meat. The beef ban has also spurred a huge underground business, giving rise to about 30,000 illegal and unlicensed abattoirs in India.

The beef ban has also created unrest in many parts of the country as most of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (SC/ST) consume beef as a staple diet and these people make up a quarter of the country's population.

"Beef is one of the most affordable sources of protein for the Dalit community," said Mohan Dharavath, president, Dalit Adivasi Bahujan and Minority Students' Association, in an interview.